Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2014"
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- Match Between Classroom Dimensions and Students’ AnthropometryPublication . Macedo, Angela C.; Morais, André V.; Martins, Henriqueta F.; Martins, João C.; Pais, Silvina M.; Mayan, Olga S.The aim of this study was to investigate mismatch between students and classroom furniture dimensions and evaluate the improvement in implementing the European furniture standard.
- Evidence for Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Exercise in CKDPublication . Viana, João L.; Kosmadakis, George C.; Watson, Emma L.; Bevington, Alan; Feehally, John; Bishop, Nicolette C.; Smith, Alice C.CKD is associated with a complex state of immune dysfunction characterized by immune depression, predisposing patients to infections, and immune activation, resulting in inflammation that associates with higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical exercise may enhance immune function and exert anti-inflammatory effects, but such effects are unclear in CKD. We investigated the separate effects of acute and regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on neutrophil degranulation (elastase release), activation of T lymphocytes (CD69 expression) and monocytes (CD86 and HLA-DR expression), and plasma inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-10, soluble TNF-receptors, and C-reactive protein) in patients with predialysis CKD. A single 30-minute (acute) bout of walking induced a normal pattern of leukocyte mobilization and had no effect on T-lymphocyte and monocyte activation but improved neutrophil responsiveness to a bacterial challenge in the postexercise period. Furthermore, acute exercise induced a systemic anti-inflammatory environment, evidenced by a marked increase in plasma IL-10 levels (peaked at 1 hour postexercise), that was most likely mediated by increased plasma IL-6 levels (peaked immediately postexercise). Six months of regular walking exercise (30 min/d for 5 times/wk) exerted anti-inflammatory effects (reduction in the ratio of plasma IL-6 to IL-10 levels) and a downregulation of T-lymphocyte and monocyte activation, but it had no effect on circulating immune cell numbers or neutrophil degranulation responses. Renal function, proteinuria, and BP were also unaffected. These findings provide compelling evidence that walking exercise is safe with regard to immune and inflammatory responses and has the potential to be an effective anti-inflammatory therapy in predialysis CKD.
- Obstacle clearance while performing manual material handling tasks in construction sitesPublication . Azevedo, Rui; Martins, Cristina; Teixeira, José Cardoso; Barroso, MónicaConstruction is widely known as having high rates of fall accidents. In spite of constant technological advances and increasing process automation, manual material handling still takes place in many construction tasks. These two factors yielded the following research question: “May manual material handling contribute to fall accidents?”. The aim of the research reported in this article is to evaluate the likelihood of same-level falls while performing tasks involving manual material handling during obstacle clearance in various handling positions. A laboratory-based study was performed through the simulation of manual material handling tasks using a 4 m long treadmill. Eight construction workers participated in this study. Participants were tested in three different load positions holding different load weights (10 kg, 18 kg, and 25 kg) while walking on the treadmill. The results demonstrated that the obstacle clearance pattern changes due to the load weight, however, no influence was observed on the load handling strategy. This variation of pattern increases the probability of tripping and falling. Recommendations were made in order to prevent falls in construction sites while performing manual material handling tasks.
- Nonproblematic Illegal Drug Use Drug Use Management Strategies in a Portuguese SamplePublication . Cruz, Olga S.Given the scant knowledge regarding illicit drug users who maintain an overall conventional lifestyle, we aimed to develop a conceptual framework to understand how they manage to keep their drug use nonproblematic. We were interested in the individual’s experiential component, so we interviewed nonproblematic, ex-problematic and problematic Portuguese drug users. The conceptual framework was developed through the first group’s data and then validated through a new consultation with these participants and a triangulation of sources and methodologies (observation). Findings show that some subjects managed to keep their drug use nonproblematic through ongoing self-regulation as a result of cost-benefit analysis and drug use management strategies. These strategies resulted mainly from the users’ characteristics, the quality of drug using experiences, and experiences with other users. The importance of this study is in recognizing that nonproblematic drug use exists and that therein may lie important clues on how to minimize problematic use.
- Physiological benefits of exercise in pre-dialysis chronic kidney diseasePublication . Gould, Douglas W; Graham-Brown, Matthew PM; Watson, Emma L; Viana, João L; Smith, Alice CChronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease and muscle wasting, arising from numerous factors associated with declining renal function and lifestyle factors. Exercise has the ability to impact beneficially on the comorbidities associated with CKD and is accepted as an important intervention in the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of other chronic diseases, however, the role of exercise in CKD is overlooked, with the provision of rehabilitation programmes well behind those of cardiology and respiratory services. Whilst there is now a large evidence base demonstrating the efficacy and safety of exercise training interventions in patients receiving dialysis, and this is now becoming incorporated into clinical guidelines for treatment of dialysis patients, there is a paucity of research evaluating the effectiveness of exercise in patients with CKD who are not on dialysis. Despite this, existing studies indicate that exercise can improve physical functioning and impact positively on the mediators of co-morbid diseases and upstream factors associated with progression of renal disease. Although preliminary evidence appears positive, more research is required to identify the best modes, frequency and intensities of exercise in order to optimise exercise prescription in pre-dialysis CKD patients. This review summarizes what is known about the main effects of exercise in pre-dialysis CKD patients, discusses the potential of exercise in the rehabilitation and treatment of disease and highlights the need for further research.
- Does Warm-Up Have a Beneficial Effect on 100-m Freestyle?Publication . Neiva, Henrique P.; Marques, Mario C.; Fernandes, Ricardo J.; Viana, João L.; Barbosa, Tiago M.; Marinho, Daniel A.To investigate the effect of warm-up on 100-m swimming performance.
- Can the external environment affect the occupational safety conditions and unsafety behaviours?Publication . Loureiro, I.F.; Rodrigues, M.; Vale, C.; Azevedo R.
- Ambivalence in emotion-focused therapy for depression: The maintenance of problematically dominant self-narrativesPublication . Ribeiro, António P.; Mendes, Inês; Stiles, William B.; Angus, Lynne; Sousa, Inês; Gonçalves, Miguel M.Ambivalence can be understood as a cyclical movement between an emerging narrative novelty-an Innovative Moment (IM)-and a return to a problematically dominant self-narrative. The return implies that the IM, with its potential for change is devalued right after its emergence. Our goal is to test the hypothesis that the probability of the client expressing such form of ambivalence decreases across treatment in good-outcome cases but not in poor-outcome cases.
- Impacto da responsabilidade social sob a óptica empresarial do norte litoral de PortugalPublication . Martínez Fernández, Valentin Alejandro; Boga, Óscar Juanatey; Da Silva Faria, Maria JoséA responsabilidade social surge na literatura a partir do século XIX e, desde então, tem ganho maior expressão, atenção e interesse por parte dos estudiosos, empresários e o público em geral. Em especial devido ao seu impacto. Assim, a responsabilidade social tem tido nas últimas décadas uma forte expansão que se tem traduzido na sua aplicabilidade estratégica no mundo dos negócios. Hoje os académicos e os empresários caminham lado a lado experimentando novas estratégias que incluem novas variáveis num estudo fomentado no aparecimento de novas formas de negócio e de actuação de redes sociais. Face a esta nova conjuntura é objectivo deste artigo verificar se existe impacto na adopção de práticas de responsabilidade social pelas empresas Maiatas e, em caso afirmativo, analisar se afectam positiva ou negativamente a imagem das empresas do norte litoral de Portugal. Este artigo está estruturado em duas secções. A primeira é composta por uma revisão de literatura sobre o tema, dando a conhecer os principais marcos conceptuais do tema em análise. A segunda secção é composta por um estudo empírico através de uma análise factorial multivariável que permite desencadear as primeiras conclusões sobre o impacto da responsabilidade social em Portugal, concretamente nas empresas objecto de estudo. Foi possível apurar com base no estudo que a prática da responsabilidade social cria impacto nas acções das empresas mas não o produz de forma significativa nos seus resultados económicos.